Lovesick
by Ginger James
Summary: Henley fell in love with the last person she ever should. This ill advised romance ruined her career but now she's getting another chance. Will she be able to redeem herself? Extended Summ Inside
1. Hometown Glory

**I have decided to completely rewrite and repost this story. I had some inspiration and I feel it's leaps and bounds better than the original, unfinished version. Again, I own Henley Ryan, Fiona Tyler, and Tessa Lee, a character you will meet in chapter 2. Along with a few others down the line. As always, reviews are encouraged and appreciated. I'd really love some feedback on this. And yes, I will start updating Truth in Deceit and First Last and Only ASAP. I promise!**

**_Extended Summary: _**

Henley Ryan was at the top of her game. She was living her dream as the WWE Women's Champion. She had a great job, great friends. Everything was perfect. Then she developed feelings for someone she shouldn't have. Acting on those feelings became the biggest mistake of her life. Her career took a nosedive, she lost everything she'd worked so hard for. But now she's getting a second chance and she's made a promise to herself and her friends that 'love' is the last thing that will ever get in her way again. Will she be able to keep her promise and redeem herself?

Fiona Tyler has just started over herself. After receiving treatment she didn't feel she deserved, she left TNA and is now with the WWE. Jeff Hardy was her least favorite person in TNA and one of the reasons she's so happy to be in another company. So what does she do when she finds out that Jeff Hardy made the jump to the WWE as well? And what will they do when they find themselves on the same side of a tense locker room?

**Lovesick**

**Chapter 1...**

_Friday…_

"Henley Ryan?" Stephanie McMahon stared across the table at her father. The very name gave her a migraine the likes of which she'd never imagined. He temples started throbbing, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Tread lightly here Stephanie," Vince pulled off his glasses, setting them down on the table.

"Tread lightly?" she stared. "You want to reward the woman who tried to ruin my marriage and I need to _tread lightly_? Shane, do you hear this?"

"She's not being rewarded Steph," Her brother spoke up. Stephanie stared at him. She walked in that morning prepared for their weekly morning breakfast meeting, not a McMahon Family ambush. "She's been off the road for more than a year now. It's time."

"It's time?" Stephanie looked back and forth between them. "I cant believe this."

"Her contract is up in two months," Vince said. "The Knockouts are getting TNA some of their highest ratings. We've got to build up a women's division that can compete."

"And you think we need her to do that?" Stephanie folded her arms over her chest.

"I _know_ we do," Vince nodded. "Personal issues aside, we signed Henley for a reason. There are women who we bring in to look good and there are women we bring in to fight hard. She's at the top of both of those lists. Put her head to head with any of those women in TNA..she wins."

"He's right Steph," Shane shrugged. "We need her back."

"Why aren't we trying to bring in new blood?" Stephanie asked. "Get some of that talent _away_ from TNA, isn't that what we do?"

"It is," Vince nodded. "And we are in the process of doing that. But we have one of the best collecting dust in developmental territory. Her contract is up in two months and she doesn't have a no compete clause. She could be on Impact in 60 days. Just think about it…the most controversial woman in the business jumping ship. They cant wait to sign her. We've left her toiling away for all this time, they thinks she's gonna pop up on their show and tell everyone where the bodies are buried. And she just might..if we let her."

"How much do you really think her word means to anyone?" Stephanie raised a brow.

"How much does mine?" he returned.

Stephanie shook her head, her jaw clenched tightly, almost painfully. She understood everything they were saying. The logical side of her knew that they were right and she should just agree. Unfortunately, that side of her was small and completely overruled by the side of her that wanted Henley Ryan fired and penniless, begging to get work alongside all of the hopeless losers who would never see the walls of the WWE's corporate offices and the has-beens who would never see them again.

"Stephanie I know how hurt you were and I did everything I could to be more of a father than a businessman," Vince reminded her. "Now I'm asking you to be a business woman."

He was right. When the scandal broke, He went against the McMahon mold and did everything he could to keep things under wraps. He didn't try to capitalize on what would have gotten them an enormous amount of attention. He didn't use it for an angle. In fact, he took Henley, who had become the top female moneymaker in the company, stripped her title away from her, suspended her and then tossed her back to OVW.

Her jaw was still clenched as she picked up her briefcase and her Blackberry, walking over to the door. Suddenly, breakfast wasn't so appealing.

"Fine," she said quietly. "I'm taking the rest of the day off. Call it a _sick_ day."

**------------------------------**

"Hey," Matt said, taking his seat beside Chris Irvine on the plane. His friend was sitting with his head tilted back, staring at nothing in particular. Matt patted his shoulder, "You look like hell."

"Good morning to you too Matt," Chris grumbled.

"Tired?" Matt smirked.

"You would be if you were me," Chris rubbed his face.

"Long night?"

"The couple in the next room had the long night," Chris explained. "They practically screwed a hole in the wall."

"Did you get the room next to Randy again?" Matt laughed.

For some reason Chris was usually the one with the misfortune of having a bed on the same wall as Randy Orton. This time, he didn't know who the culprits were. The only names he heard were 'baby' and oddly enough 'you son of a bitch'.

"Not this time," Chris shook his head, sitting up a little straighter. Now that he knew the seating arrangements, he knew that sleep would elude him for the rest of the flight. Sitting next to Matt on the plane was a blessing and a curse. He and Matt had been friends for years and he was fun to be around. The only problem was that he had a tendency to be a little chatty in the morning and Chris wasn't exactly a morning person. His ex-wife had been a morning person. It drove him crazy.

Matt kept shifting around in his seat, trying to get comfortable and Chris resisted the urge to elbow him in the side.

"I didn't get much sleep either," Matt said. "I was up watching a marathon of M.A.S.H."

"That sounds exciting," Chris smirked.

Chris had a pretty good theory on why his friend couldn't sleep. There was a rumor going around that sometime soon, Jeff Hardy was going to have a meeting with the powers that be.

"That would explain you not getting any sleep," Chris said. He felt for Matt sometimes. Being the older, more responsible Hardy seemed to come with a lot of worrying and stress.

Matt shrugged, "I'm trying not to be too concerned with it."

"And failing miserably?" Chris asked.

"Okay so I'm a little worried," Matt admitted.

"Because..." Chris gestured for him to continue.

Matt ran a hand through his hair, "I'm not exactly sure how people are gonna react to Jeff."

Chris couldn't blame him. That was definitely an understandable concern. Jeff wasn't exactly known for making the most sound decisions and he hadn't kept up many of the relationships he'd forged during his time with the company.

"Well, when you leave because you say you're burnt out and then come back to the business and work for the competition, you cant expect much," Chris shrugged.

"Thank you Chris," Matt looked over at his friend. "That makes me feel _completely_ at ease."

"I'm not saying that's how _I_ feel," Chris said. "But we both know that's how some people think. As your friend, I'm obligated to be real with you."

"How _do_ you feel about it?" Matt asked.

Before Chris could say anything, they both felt a hard push to the back of the seats.

Chris looked over his shoulder and met the angry eyes of Dave Batista. Dave was also not much of a morning person. He didn't really like Chris at any other time of day either.

"Can I help you?" Chris asked.

"Why don't you two shut your mouths for a few hours? People are tryin' to get a little sleep back here," Dave gestured to himself and Shawn Michaels, who occupied the seat next to him.

"Sorry," Matt rolled his eyes.

Chris turned back around, mumbling, "Asshole."

Dave hit the back of his seat again, "I heard that."

Chris was tempted to let Dave known he didn't care if he heard it but he decided against it. With the threat of the angry animal behind them looming over his head, Matt might quiet down, allowing Chris to get a little shut eye. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

**------------------------------**

Henley Ryan pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, stopping and looking around the busy airport. She almost laughed, thinking about how much she used to hate airports when she was on the road. She would easily have called them her least favorite places. She seemed to have terrible luck with delayed or canceled flights and getting stuck next to chatty moms with whiny kids when she was running on two hours of sleep and had to be at an appearance the second she landed. Now, standing in Connecticut's Bradley International Airport, she realized that they were truly wonderful places. She felt like she was going home, not leaving it. Her apartment had taken over as her least favorite place.

She'd been sitting at home for an entire year. 12 months of Raws, Smackdowns, house shows, pay-per-views, signings, flights, rental cars, interviews, friends' birthdays, everything. She didn't wanna do it anymore. When she first signed her developmental contract, OVW was like heaven. She loved it there, she loved the people, she loved the experience. She'd had the time of her life. But after being in front of sell-out crowds in Madison Square Garden, winning her first championship at Survivor Series, being on the covers of magazines and having fans practically in tears just because they got to hug her...being back in OVW wasn't nearly as exciting as it once was. Especially because Stephanie made sure she did as little as possible. She wasn't really a part of the OVW roster. She was told she was there to help train up and coming divas, which was like torture for her. Having to train someone to do what she desperately missed doing was hell. While there, she did manage to develop a friendship with Paul Heyman, which undoubtedly made her even more of a thorn in Stephanie's ass. Paul tried his best to push to get Henley back on the roster, which was more of a hindrance than help but Henley appreciated the effort. Then he got fired and that was the end of that. She'd begun to accept that she was going to be toiling away in OVW until her contract expired. It sucked but there wasn't much that she could do. She'd made the ultimate career killing decision and she had to live with it.

Then, a friend of hers called her after reading an internet rumor that she was being brought back to WWE TV. She advised her friend not to pay attention to rumors but soon after, she got a call from the office explaining that it was time to start negotiating a contract extension. She wasn't even remotely interested until she got a call from Shane. The call that she wished she'd recorded because it had to have been the greatest phone call ever made. The call in which Shane informed her that she was, indeed, coming back...if she wanted to. They already had an angle ready, she just needed to sign on the dotted line and she could start getting her life back. She wasn't sure what had changed but she _was_ sure that she didn't give a damn. She would have signed in blood if she had to, she just wanted to get back to work, back on the road, back with her friends, the few she had left. She saw them from time to time but not nearly as much as she wanted to. Now she could see them all she wanted. She could do what she loved. Everything was looking up....Sort of. She couldn't ignore the fact that a lot of people had developed a pretty healthy dislike for her, lost respect for her, lost interest in her.

"Excuse me."

She turned around when she heard someone close behind her. She smiled when she saw a young boy. He looked about 11 or 12 with short brown hair and blue eyes. She couldn't help but notice that he was wearing an old Stone Cold t-shirt.

"Hi," she smiled. "How can I help you?"

"I'm a _huge_ fan of yours," he said excitedly.

She tried to hide her surprise as she said, "Well thank you."

"Well thank you," she smiled.

"Would it be okay if…Can..Can I have an autograph?" he smiled.

"You sure can," Henley smiled. "What do you want me to sign?"

**------------------------------**

Hunter downed the rest of his bottle of water as he walked out of the weight room. Breathing heavily, he pulled his headphones out of his ears and draped a towel over his neck. He stopped walking when he heard the loud sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floors. He looked over at the clock on the wall and frowned. Stephanie wasn't due back for hours. There were creative meetings all day. Normally, he would be a part of those meetings but Vince declared that no talent would be involved in these particular meetings. No one knew exactly why.

He rounded the corner and walked through the living room and into the kitchen where he found his wife looking for something in the refrigerator.

"Steph?"

She jumped, slamming the door shut, a hand instinctively covering her chest, "Jesus, Hunter, you scared me."

"You caught me a little off guard too," he said, throwing away his empty bottle. "I thought you were supposed to be gone all day."

"I was," she nodded. "I left early."

"The meetings were over?" Hunter asked, confused.

"Nope," she shook her head, opening the refrigerator again and pulling out a can of diet coke.

Hunter sighed. Something had to be wrong. There was no way Stephanie would just walk out of a meeting before it was over.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning on the island.

Stephanie closed the fridge and took a deep breath before closing her eyes and looking over at him, "Henley Ryan."

Hunter looked down at the counter. Now he understood why he wasn't allowed at the meeting.

**------------------------------**

"You don't seem to understand, this reservation was made over a week ago," Fiona put her hands on the counter in front of her. "I don't know _how_ you lost it but you need to _find it_. _Now_."

Henley was on her way out to her rental after she finished signing autographs when she heard a strangely familiar voice. She couldn't place it but she _knew_ she'd heard that angry woman somewhere before. Curious, she walked over to AVIS, eyeing the confrontation.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but I cant get you a car until tomorrow morning," the clerk apologized.

"Well I'm here _now_," the petite brunette argued. "So I'm gonna need a different answer."

Henley got closer and stopped when she realized who she was looking at.

Fiona Tyler, former TNA Knockout, and by most accounts, huge drama queen.

Henley knew a few people in TNA and she'd heard some..interesting accounts of Fiona's tantrums. And she'd heard a few rumors about her jumping ship.

"Ma'am I cant give you a different answer," the clerk insisted.

"Is there a problem?" Henley stepped in.

"There is _definitely_ a problem," Fiona crossed her arms over her chest. "I need a car and she's claiming she doesn't have any."

"I don't," the clerk insisted. "I told you, I apologize but-"

"Your apologies don't help me very much now do they?" Fiona sneered.

Henley felt for the poor Avis worker. But she could see Fiona's side too. When you lived on reservations and schedules, a glitch could be beyond frustrating.

"Tell you what, why don't you just catch a ride with me?" Henley asked. "I'll drop you off wherever you're going and I'm sure this lovely lady will give you a call as soon as something becomes available."

------------------------------

Fiona folded her arms across her chest and eyed the blonde in front of her. Henley Ryan, easily one of the most recognizable faces in women's wrestling and not for the best reasons. Sure, she was a former women's champion and by most accounts, quite an athlete, but she would always be known for the scandal that tanked her career. And now Fiona, gossip extraordinaire, had the opportunity to get some scoop straight from the horse's mouth. She couldn't really pass it up.

"Okay," Fiona shrugged. She turned to the desk clerk, "You have a nice day.

**------------------------------**

"That doesn't make any sense," Trish shook her head, annoyed beyond belief. "We don't need her."

"I don't think so either," Stephanie paced back and forth. "But I've been overruled."

After telling Hunter about Henley's return, the first person Stephanie wanted to talk to was Trish Stratus. Over the years, they'd become very close friends and Trish had been her rock when she found out about her husband's affair.

"There has to be something you can do," Trish insisted. "You're the head writer, you have a say."

"I cant change my father's mind," Stephanie shook her head. "And he told me at the last minute. She's probably already at the airport."

"_What_?" Trish stared. "How could they do that to you?"

Stephanie shrugged, "Easily."

In all her years in the company, Stephanie had learned to separate family and business. She didn't call her parents Mom and Dad at work. She didn't take creative disagreements personally. But she was having a hard time with this. Her father had been so supportive when they first found out about Henley and Hunter. She couldn't understand why now all of a sudden he was bombarding her with Henley this way.

"I just have to deal with it," she sat down.

"Well," Trish turned to her, smiling, "Maybe we can make this a good thing."

"Even you cant be that optimistic," Stephanie stared incredulously at her friend.

"Think about it Steph," Trish smirked. "Henley being back here gives you the chance to make her regret what she did. It's payback time."

**------------------------------**

"Thank you for keeping me from getting arrested," Fiona laughed as she and Henley put their bags in the trunk of Henley's rental car.

"Anytime," Henley laughed, unlocking the car doors. She looked over at the brunette, smiling when she read the writing on her white t-shirt: "Don't Believe Everything You Read"

"Making a statement right away, huh?" Henley smirked.

"I thought it was a good idea to put it out there right away," Fiona laughed as they got into the car.

"Well I certainly like it but I'm not sure how many others will," Henley laughed.

"That's okay," Fiona shrugged. "As long as I have one ally, who already seems to have some experience in crisis control, I think I'll be fine."

Henley laughed, "I am rather good at keeping friends from assaulting customer service workers but uh..I'm not sure Henley Ryan is an ally you want in this business."

"I'm sure you'll do," Fiona laughed as Henley pulled out of the parking space.

"So…the rumors are true," Henley said. "Fiona Tyler coming over to the corporate dark side."

"Yeah," Fiona winced. "I'm sure you heard things in TNA weren't exactly going smoothly."

"I did hear that," Henley nodded.

"I'm sure you heard a lot about me," Fiona said. "I've certainly heard a lot about you."

**------------------------------**

Jeff Hardy rubbed his forehead, his eyelids feeling heavy as he listened to his brother talk. Matt was detailing the last few days since they'd talked and, though he was interested, he was having a hard time focusing. He'd been having some trouble sleeping and it was starting to catch up to him.

"Listen, I told Chris about you coming back," Matt blurted.

Jeff wasn't surprised. Matt was never all that great at keeping secrets. It didn't matter though. It wasn't exactly a well kept secret to begin with. The rumors were already all over the place.

"We don't know if I'm coming back or not Matt," Jeff corrected him. "It's just a meeting."

"You have to own it Jeff," Matt said. "You gotta go in there knowing that you've already got it."

"I don't know that," Jeff shook his head. "I'm not gonna act like I do 'cause I don't."

In fact, that was the very thing keeping him awake the last few nights. At one point, he was the guy everyone wanted. Now he was the wildcard. The guy who didn't show up on time for work. The guy whose bosses felt he needed a babysitter. He was the guy who'd let drugs become more important than work. He'd been sober for a while but he didn't delude himself. He knew people would still see him as that person. He couldn't blame them. The thing that gave him hope was that he knew he could still put on a great show. He had something unique in this business and if there was anything that smart businesspeople valued, it was having something no one else did. He just hoped the good outweighed the bad in his case.

"So when do you fly in?" Matt asked.

"The ticket is for early Wednesday morning," Jeff answered, slowly pacing back and forth in his living room.

"And you're gonna be at the airport on time, right?"

Jeff's jaw clenched and he stopped walking.

"Jeff?" Matt waited.

"How am I supposed to answer that question?" Jeff asked.

"You're supposed to say 'Yeah Matt, I'm gonna be there early, with bells on'," Matt said. "You're supposed to say 'There's no way I'm gonna blow my chance this time'. That's how I'd like you to answer it."

"I would hope you know that without me having to say it," Jeff said, annoyed. Sometimes his brother had a way of making him feel like even more of a screw up.

"I just want you to be positive Jeff," Matt said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked like that."

Jeff shrugged, "It's alright. I'm gonna be there on time."

"You are excited about this, right?" Matt asked.

"Hell yes I'm excited," Jeff laughed, sitting down, resting his elbows on his knees. "Nervous but excited. It feels like a homecoming, you know?"

"You are coming home," Matt said.

Jeff leaned back against the couch, "You know, I got an email from a friend of mine and he said he saw some crazy rumor about Fiona Tyler getting a WWE contract. You know anything about that?"

"Fiona Tyler?" Matt sounded confused at the mention of the TNA Knockout. "Not to my knowledge."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't think of a single person in his entire time in the business that he hated working with more than Fiona Tyler. Just thinking about her made his muscles grow tense, and not in a good way. He shook his head quickly.

"Good," Jeff said. "I'd rather sleep on a bed of hot coals every night than work with that woman again."

"I refuse to believe she's as bad as you say she is," Matt laughed. "She's too pretty to be the demon you make her out to be."

"Looks can be deceiving big brother," Jeff insisted. "Trust me on that one."

"Whatever you say," Matt laughed.

Jeff laughed, "Just be glad you haven't had the pleasure."

**------------------------------**

"How many times has she called?"

Fiona laughed, looking down at her phone, "I believe that makes six."

Dixie Carter must have heard the good news. She'd called quite a few times and left some undoubtedly angry voicemails that Fiona would listen to later. At the moment, she was having too much fun. She and Henley had gone out to eat and sat talking and laughing for an hour.

In the last year, Fiona had heard quite a few harsh things said about Henley Ryan, mainly that she was a home wrecker who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar and lost her job. That much could be confirmed but what she hadn't read about was how much fun she was. And, surprisingly enough, she seemed really smart and sweet. She stopped and signed an autograph for anyone who asked. She even made a camera phone video for a kid who said his friends wouldn't believe he'd met her. Fiona didn't usually like being bothered while she was trying to eat but she joined in at the time. Henley's enthusiasm was somewhat infectious. She definitely liked her.

Now they'd arrived at the hotel and were getting ready to check in. Fiona pulled her bags, rolling her eyes at the lack of carts in the lobby. She didn't exactly pack light and the idea of carrying her luggage all the way up to her room wasn't exactly a pleasant one.

"I will pay you fifty bucks to carry these bags for me," she laughed, looking over at Henley. Then, she realized that her new friend was no longer beside her. Frowning, she turned, looking around until she spotted her, still standing at the front doors, holding her bags.

"Let's get a move on Ryan, these bags wont take themselves upstairs," Fiona smiled, hands on her hips.

Henley didn't respond. She was too busy staring off into space.

"Okay, I know people say you blondes are pretty vacant but…"

Fiona turned around, her words trailing off when she realized Henley wasn't spacing out. She was, in fact, staring at a very real Hunter Levesque and Stephanie McMahon talking to Shawn Michaels.

"Okay well this is.._awkward_," Fiona winced, scratching the side of her head.

"That's a word for it," Henley finally looked away from the couple.

Fiona felt for her. She couldn't imagine being in her position.

"Hey, I have a fantastic idea," she smiled, clapping her hands together.

"Run like hell?" Henley forced a laugh.

Fiona's grin widened, "Yes and no. You like booze?"

_2 Hours Later…_

"So I don't get it…you don't seem like a home wrecker," Fiona rested her chin on her wrist, looking across the table at Henley.

Henley laughed, "Yeah I try not to let that show until I know people for a few days."

"Probably a good idea," Fiona laughed. "Seriously, I just..I don't get it."

"And you wanna hear the story from the home wrecker's mouth, huh?" Henley sighed.

"Call me nosy," Fiona shrugged.

Henley knew this wasn't the last time she was going to have to explain herself. She finished off her long island iced tea and gestured to the bartender that she needed two more.

"Well, I might as well tell you before you get 15 other versions," Henley sighed. "Contrary to popular belief, I never intended for any of this to happen…When I first got called up, I was on Smackdown, which I _hated_. Hunter was on Raw. We didn't exactly run in the same circles but then on a European tour I started hanging out with Maria and we got close and then she started coming to our shows, I started going to hers. I didn't seek out anything with him. I was talking to Shane one day about borrowing some old AWA tapes from the library and out of nowhere Hunter just came up and joined the conversation. We just..hit it off. We were friends, just friends. Hunter became someone I could talk to..someone who always knew what to say. And Stephanie and I were _oil_ and _water_. I didn't agree with a thing that she said and she couldn't stand me from the first day we met. I was so frustrated having to be on Smackdown when I wanted to be in the championship picture and I was so _stupid_ and _cocky_ and I felt like I wasn't being used the way I should have been. I bitched and moaned to him and Shane and they both told me to just be quiet and patient. Hunter said just do your job and do it so well that no one can deny you. Be great and no one can hold you down."

"Sound advice," Fiona took a drink.

"Very," Henley smiled, nodding. "So that's what I did. And Hunter and I got closer. We talked on the phone a lot and spent a lot of time around each other when we were all traveling together. We uh..we agreed that there wasn't any reason for Stephanie to know we were close. We weren't doing anything wrong we just…didn't want her to get the wrong idea," she smiled wistfully, finishing one of the two drinks she had left. "I don't wanna make it sound like some fairytale, I mean, we disagreed from time to time. I could be a brat. He could be a pompous _ass_ but…we just had this _bond_. We talked about _everything_. He told me about his problems with Stephanie, his ideas for the business, whatever. I told him all the details if I went on a bad date. Then things just started to change. I couldn't help but develop feelings for him. But there was _no way _I would ever act on them. And I didn't think he saw me as anything but a friend. Then this one night, we were all in the same city. I had gone out with Tess and Maria. We got in relatively early but I was uh..a bit _drunk_. I was almost asleep and then Hunter showed up at my door. He was all red in the face about some argument he just had with Stephanie. He came in, told me what happened, I calmed him down. We started watching a movie and then I got up to change clothes. I thought he was still watching TV so I didn't bother to go in the bathroom. I pulled off my shirt and then Hunter came up behind me. He kissed me and I just…I knew it was wrong but I just…I couldn't stop. The next morning I just..I tried to blame it on the booze and Hunter said that he was sorry and that it was a mistake. I didn't really know how to feel. I felt like I should have been relieved or something but I was..sort of..I don't know, sad. Disappointed. Hurt. All those girly emotions. We just didn't talk about it. I tried to just focus on work but then my angle ended and Stephanie said that creative was having trouble finding something for me. I got thrown into bikini contests and a pointless matches and I got scared that I was gonna get fired. I didn't wanna lean on him but I couldn't help it. Hunter helped keep me sane. He was so comforting and perfect and it was _really_ hard to ignore how I was feeling. Then, one day Hunter called and told me he had huge news after a creative meeting. I met him for lunch and he told me I was being moved to Raw. A week later…we had sex again, after a show. It was obvious to both of us that there was something there and..we didn't know what to do about it. And..we made the wrong choice I guess. It just kept happening and before I knew it, I was in a full blown relationship with a married man. We both knew what would happen if he left her so we just..didn't discuss it. We knew our limitations. We were both under a lot of pressure. He was World Champion with his hand in everything, I won the women's championship and Vince was grooming me to be the 'face of women's wrestling'."

"He said that?" Fiona asked.

"Oh yeah," Henley nodded. "As I'm sure you know, it's hard as hell to keep secrets in this kind of environment. And I started to worry about what would happen if anyone found out. I was paranoid but Hunter told me that no one would know. We had to act normal around each other though and there were a few times that guys hit on me and Hunter had a..hard time acting like he didn't care. Fortunately, he was able to play the protective friend card and no one really caught on. Then, Maria and Tess came to me one day and confronted me. I guess they saw something that they thought was suspicious between Hunter and I and…I couldn't lie anymore. I told them and they did _not_ approve but, they kept quiet. And me and him we just kept on going. I tried to watch myself with Stephanie. Mind my manners, bite my tongue when she insulted me as she constantly did. Everything was okay. Then..the night of New Year's Revolution..everyone had to fly out to New York right after the show to avoid some bad weather. That night…everything changed."

Henley ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath, "We were waiting for the plane and Hunter sent me a message to meet him somewhere. He got up and a few minutes later..I followed. I went in a big circle in case anyone followed. Once I was sure we were alone..I met him. And then five, maybe ten minutes later, Stephanie caught us. Kissing."

"Holy shit."

"Holy shit is right," Henley nodded. "She _snapped_. Made a huge scene in the middle of the airport. I just stood there, looking stupid because I didn't know what else to do. Hunter dragged her away before she drew too big of a crowd. I followed them once I got my shit together and I stopped when I heard Hunter's voice. He was telling her that _I_ kissed _him_. I went in the room to argue but Hunter stuck to his story. He told Stephanie that he knew it was wrong to kiss me back but he just _insisted_ that I made a move on him."

"And she believed him?" Fiona stared.

Henley nodded, "Yup. So the next day, we had this big scary meeting and we were asked to admit to the affair. And our stories were different. _Really_ different."

"He made you out to be the home wrecker?" Fiona asked.

"Precisely," Henley confirmed sadly. "He admitted to the affair, we both did. But by his account, I instigated everything. It was made very clear to me that day that my career was in jeopardy. They sent me home and told me they'd decide what to do with me soon. Shane wouldn't speak to me. Two weeks later, they flew me out for Raw just so I could drop my belt. Everyone looked at me like I had a scarlet letter painted on my chest. People said things, some behind my back and some right to my face. And then there was Hunter."

"What happened?"

"We had a uh…well, I guess you could call it a fight," Henley winced. "He actually tried to convince me that what he did wasn't that bad and that he was just scared or something, I don't know. I didn't really listen. I just yelled. And yelled..until I was hoarse. I told him I hated him and then I left. I flew to Louisville and I've bounced back and forth between there and home ever since."

"Wow," Fiona nodded, obviously unsure of what to say.

Henley smiled, "And now here we are, well on our way to inebriation…And I hope we never have to speak of this again."

"I'll try not to bring it up," Fiona smiled. "Now…how about some tequila?"

------------------------------


	2. Lovely To See You

_**Read, Enjoy, & Review!!**_

**Chapter 2...**

_Saturday_

Henley nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the loud pounding on the door. For a moment she wondered if she'd done something illegal and the cops were coming to take her away. The banging continued and she groggily propped herself up on her elbows looking over at the clock. It was 9 A.M. She looked over at her couch and spotted Fiona with her head hanging over the arm, passed out. She'd invited her new friend to stay in her room after they had a hard time remembering what room Fiona was in. The sound at the door jarred her and Henley got up slowly, wondering what awful person was torturing her like this. She yanked the door knob open and got her answer in the form of her Maria and Tess, her two closest friends.

"Wow, somebody's hung over," Maria smiled.

"Someone also obviously forgot her welcome back breakfast," Tessa smiled.

"Someone is possibly still drunk and needs you guys to quiet down," Henley smiled, stepping back and opening the door so her friends could enter the room.

"We missed you too Don," Tessa smiled.

"You know I hate when you call me that," Henley glared at her dark haired friend. She'd known Tessa for years, they worked together in Chicago before getting their contracts at around the same time and Tessa had always called her Don or Donny. It drove her crazy.

"Yes, I'm well aware," Tessa grinned. "Now that you're back, I can do all of those little things that I know irritate the shit out of you."

"You're so sweet sometimes," Henley sneered.

"I know," Tessa smirked. "I'd hug you but I think I'd catch a buzz."

Henley smiled, shaking her head. Tessa wasn't the most emotional person in the world. She'd known her for about 5 years and the best way to gauge how much she missed you was by how much she busted your chops.

"I could use the buzz," Maria smiled, reaching forward and pulling Henley into a tight hug. Maria was the exact opposite. You didn't have to be a mind reader to know what she was feeling. She put it right out there. "I'm so glad you're back,"

"Me too," Henley hugged her friend.

"And you're a lesbian now?" Tessa crossed her arms over her chest, nodding toward the couch. "You went out picking up chicks last night, didn't you?"

"Shut up" Henley pointed.

"Is that _Fiona Tyler_?" Maria stared, confused.

"Shhh," Henley put a finger to her mouth. "If she managed to sleep through your knocking, she deserves to sleep a while longer."

------------------------------

"She didn't," Fiona mumbled, praying everyone would stop talking so damn loud.

"Sorry," Henley laughed.

"I just didn't want to open my eyes yet." Fiona slowly lifted her head, wincing and rubbing the back of her neck. She looked over at Henley, stifling a laugh. Her blonde waves were a complete mess and she had her makeup from the night before smeared across her eyes. Fiona could only imagine how she looked and for once, she was grateful that there wasn't a mirror around.

She stood up, walking over to the group.

"So you really did jump ship?" Maria smiled.

"Wow, that question's not gonna get old," Fiona smiled.

"Don't worry guys, get a little booze in her and she's not nearly this bitchy," Henley gave her a look.

"Sorry, that was a little short, wasn't it?" Fiona laughed. She hadn't intended to come off as rude she just wasn't much of a morning person. Especially not after the amount of alcohol she'd consumed the night before.

"Yeah, I made the move. I'm pretty excited about it."

"Nice to meet you guys," Fiona shook hands with both of them, noticing how pretty both of them were in person. Fiona knew all too well that sometimes it was easy to look good on TV with good lighting and lots of makeup on but standing in front of her, both women were still gorgeous. Maria's red hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail and she was wearing very little makeup. Tessa was less intimidating than she seemed on screen. She was tall, about the same height as Henley with long, jet black hair and steely gray eyes. She was wearing a thin white tank top and Fiona could see all of the tattoos that covered her right arm and the top half of her left. Fiona had never understood why such a pretty girl would get all that ink all over her. Fiona had one small tattoo but Tess was covered. In addition to the ones on her arms, Fiona could remember from pictures that she had a huge one taking up most of her lower back, more on her lower abdomen and some around her ankles. But to each his own. They looked good on her.

"Glad to have you on board," Tessa extended her hand.

"This is getting way too formal," Henley laughed.

"You're right," Maria smiled. "Fiona, you have to come with us. We're having a welcome back breakfast for Henley."

"Why not?" Fiona shrugged, stifling a yawn. "When is it?"

"About ten minutes ago," Tessa looked down at the leather band on her wrist. "So lets get a move on."  
"Now?" Henley stared. "I look, _and smell_, like a bar skank."

"Yes you do," Maria pulled off the sunglasses she had on top of her head. "Put these on, we're already behind schedule."

"I haven't showered," Fiona shook her head. "There's absolutely no way I can…"

Fiona trailed off at the stern looks she was getting from Maria and Tess.

"Okay, if you wanna be seen with us like this…it's on you. But if someone asks if I'm Fiona Tyler, I'm gonna say no."

---------------------------------

Hunter looked across the table at his wife, wondering how long it had been since one of them said something. He couldn't remember the last time they'd had a breakfast this quiet. It was one of the few meals of the day that they shared and they usually talked.

"So…how do you think the whole Fiona Tyler thing is gonna go over with the other women?" he asked.

She considered it for a few seconds and shrugged, "Probably not too well. They have enough issues competing with each other. I'm sure bringing in an outsider is gonna start a few fires but nothing we cant put out. She's beautiful. She can _act_. She can pull off a convincing angle, which I cant say for all of our ladies. It was a smart move."

"You sure?" Hunter asked. He hadn't been thrilled with the idea of hiring the brunette after hearing about all the backstage drama that surrounded her during her time in TNA.

"I know she has some…attitude problems," Stephanie said. "That's why Trish and I have decided we're gonna take her under our wings a bit."

"You and Trish?" Hunter raised a brow.

"Can you think of a better influence?" she asked, her jaw tensing in a familiar way.

"No I just…I don't know, do you really have time to baby-sit a diva?" he asked.

"I'm willing to invest time in someone I think will bring us good ratings," Stephanie answered. "And with our help, I think she'll be fine. I mean, Trish and I can show her the ropes. Help her get to know the right people and avoid the wrong ones."

Hunter wondered just who Stephanie considered the wrong ones but he didn't bother to ask. He supposed he should know. It wasn't that hard to figure out. He probably agreed with her on them. _Most_ of them.

"We're gonna meet her at the talent meeting Monday morning," Stephanie stood up, finishing off her cup of coffee and folding her newspaper.

"Monday morning?" Hunter frowned, confused. He didn't remember hearing about any meeting.

"Yes," she nodded. "I told you about it yesterday."

"You did?" he frowned.

She nodded, looking annoyed, "You should be looking forward to it….Henley will be there."

---------------------------------

Randy yawned, only half listening to Dave as they got off the elevator and walked into the hotel lobby. He'd had a particularly long night with a young woman named Serena. She left at 6 AM and then Dave showed up at 9:30 demanding that Randy accompany him to the gym.

"So are you going?" Dave asked.

"Going to what?" Randy asked.

"Cody's birthday party," Dave repeated himself. "Were you listening at all?"

"Not really," Randy admitted. "You drag me out of bed, you cant expect the best company."

"Ted's throwing a big party for Cody next weekend in LA," Dave explained.

"His birthday isn't until the end of the month," Randy frowned.

"Yeah but he figured since we were gonna be in LA, he'd throw him a party at some club in Hollywood," Dave shrugged. "And of course, they want us all to be there."

"I'll think about it," Randy shrugged. "I sort of have a standing date when we're in LA."

"What's her name?"

Randy smiled, "Jessica."

"Did I meet her?" Dave asked.

"I don't think so," Randy shook his head.

Dave looked like he was about to say something but he stopped as they were getting ready to pass the hotel gift shop.

"You need to buy a spoon for your collection?" Randy teased.

"Shut up," Dave said quietly. "Look at what we have here."

"What?" Randy looked into the store, confused. It didn't take long to figure out what Dave had spotted. A tall, slender woman wearing a pair of short red shorts and a loose white t-shirt that fell off of one of her shoulders and had a picture of Michael Jordan in mid air on the front. She had long tan legs partially covered by black boots and her long honey blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her face was partially covered by huge black sunglasses but she was still recognizable. Henley Ryan.

"Don't act all shocked, We all heard the rumors," Randy said. "Let's go."

"No," Dave smiled. "Not yet."

Henley was smiling and chatting with the store clerk and the young man was obviously enamored with her. Randy had no idea why Dave wanted to wait around. It wasn't like either of them knew Henley all that well. Last he checked, they weren't part of the welcoming committee.

---------------------------------

Henley took the bag from the young man and walked toward the store's entrance. Fiona had complained so much about how bad she looked that Henley went the gift shop to get her a pair of sunglasses to quiet her. She exited the store, her mind on the plate of bacon and waffles waiting for her, until she found herself in front of a road block in the form of Dave Batista and Randy Orton. Henley rolled her eyes. Dave had never been her biggest fan and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was raring to go.

"Gentlemen," she nodded, moving to walk around them. Dave stepped in her way.

"Henley," he smiled.

She felt her shoulders tense at the look on his face. Dave had been one of the most vocal in the past year about his opinion of Henley. He'd called people like her a poison in the business. He'd also used quite a few other choice words that she didn't want to think about.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked.

"It's really good to see you back," he smirked.

"You almost look like you mean that Dave," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Can I go now?"

"Not quite yet," he blocked her path again. "I just wanted to welcome you back. You know, wish you good luck. Tell you to stay out of trouble."

"And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?" she asked.

"You really need me to explain?" he laughed.

"Please do," she raised her chin defiantly.

"Well if you need me to be more graphic, I just wanna tell you to keep your leg-"

"Dave," Randy stepped forward, giving his friend a look. He turned his blue eyes to Henley and then jerked his head, signaling for her to make her exit. She considered staying but he jerked his head again, putting his arm between she and Dave and Henley figured it was probably best to do as he directed. She walked away, clutching her bag in her hand, her fingernails digging into her palm as she struggled to take a deep breath. This was the sort of thing she was just going to have to get used to.

--------------------------------

"What's your problem?" Dave asked, pushing Randy's arm away.

"My problem?" Randy laughed. "What's your problem?"

"You know damn well what my problem is," Dave insisted. "Don't act like you don't know what happened."

"Yeah I know," Randy said. "I also know you aren't exactly a moral compass."

"I don't have to be," Dave shrugged. "What's the big deal? I was just messing with her."

"It's just unnecessary," Randy said, walking toward the door.

Randy wasn't one to play the knight in shining armor but his friend was acting like a hypocrite and that irritated him. Dave slept around more than most people so he really didn't have much room to tell someone else to keep anything in check.

"I wasn't aware that you two were best girlfriends," Dave smirked. "I'll try to be nicer next time."

"Whatever," Randy rolled his eyes. "Let's just go.

---------------------------------

Fiona looked up when Henley walked back into the restaurant. Her eyes were downcast as she navigated the cluttered tables and made her way back to their group. When she looked up and saw Fiona watching her, she pasted on a bright smile. She slid into her seat beside Maria, snatching a piece of bacon from Maria's plate.

'What happened?' Fiona mouthed.

Henley simply shook her head and mouthed back 'Nothing'. She was obviously lying but Fiona didn't want to be too pushy so she shrugged, deciding to let it go.

Henley held a small bag out to Fiona, "For you."

"Took you long enough," Fiona took the bag. She pulled out the sunglasses, her mouth dropping open when she saw the frames. A pair of huge blue stars.

"Seriously?" she gave Henley a look.

Henley shrugged innocently, "It was all they had."

---------------------------------

"Hey, are there any vacancies in your building?" Matt asked as he and Chris walked to his rental car.

"I have no idea," Chris answered, confused. "Why? You moving?"

"No," Matt frowned. "You know I love my house. I have a friend looking for an apartment in that area and I told him how nice your place is."

"Glad you like it," Chris rolled his eyes as they got into the car. In truth, he absolutely hated his apartment. There wasn't anything wrong with it. It was in an expensive, secure building and had everything he could possibly want but…he missed his house. The house that his wife had demanded as a part of their divorce. Sometimes as he rode the elevator to his ninth floor apartment, all he could think about was how she justified trying to take half of his money and the home that he'd chosen and purchased. She'd been the one to step outside of their marriage but she told the courts that it was because he had completely isolated her from all of her friends and family, only to leave her alone while he left for weeks at a time without so much as a call or an email. The leaving part was true, but she'd signed up for that. She didn't have a problem with his schedule the entire three years they were together before they got married. But her claim that he'd isolated her couldn't have been farther from the truth. He'd always encouraged her to have as full a life as she wanted. He encouraged her to spend time with her friends and family. He wanted nothing but happiness for her. And he'd called her every chance he got when he was on the road. He got so fed up with the divorce proceedings that he'd instructed his lawyers to settle with hers. There was no way she was getting half of his money but he gave her the house. And agreed to alimony payments. 4 years of marriage, 7 years total, and now the only time he ever heard from the woman was if she didn't get her money on time or if something at the house was broken, as if he was going to fly out to fix it.

"Chris!"

"Huh?" Chris was pulled from his thoughts by Matt's loud voice in his ear. "What?"

"I said, can you check on that for me?" Matt said, still speaking louder than necessary.

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "I'll check."

---------------------------------

"When are you planning on telling Dixie you signed with them?" Terry asked.

"Why should I tell her?" Fiona asked, holding the phone between her ear as she unzipped her suitcase.

"Are you kidding?" Terry asked. "Because Dixie will freak out on all of _us_ because _you_ screwed her over."

"She's well aware of the fact that my contract is up," Fiona shrugged, rifling through the clothes she'd packed. "If she wanted to do something about it, she should have. And if you're so worried about her freaking out, come with me."

After inadvertently injuring her in the ring, Terry Gerin had become Fiona's best, well..only, friend in TNA. Everyone else seemed to think she was the spawn of Satan. She knew he got made fun of for being her confidant but he never seemed to care. He was the only thing that made leaving the company difficult. She'd had been trying her best to convince him to jump ship with her ever since she decided to take Vince's offer.

"You know that isn't going to happen," Terry sighed.

"I don't see why not," Fiona argued, frowning at a blue dress before shoving it back into the suitcase. "You do realize that you aren't making sense, right?"

He sighed again. She'd grown used to hearing him sigh all the time. He thought she was as insufferable and crazy as everyone else sometimes, he just cared about her enough to look past it.

"You do realize that you will miss me terribly, right?" she smirked.

He laughed, "Yes Fi, I'm aware."

"Then _what_ is the problem?" she asked, frustrated, tossing the blue dress away. "They offered you a deal. What's keeping you from taking it?"

"I'm getting a push here," he answered. "A big one."

Fiona sat down on the bed, rolling her eyes. It was pretty obvious that Terry was next in line for a championship in TNA. That didn't change her selfish need to have her only real friend with her. She'd never been good at keeping friends. Either she got bored with people or they developed some issue with her.

"You could get one here," she said.

"No I wouldn't," Terry laughed. "I was there for a long time without one. I seriously doubt it's gonna happen all of a sudden…They only want me because they want to take people away from TNA and as fun as pissing these people off would be at first…it wouldn't do much for me in the long run."

"That's not necessarily true," she said, not completely convinced herself. That didn't matter though, she wanted him to come with her.

He didn't say anything.

It was her turn to sigh, "Fine, I'll stop for now."

"Thank you," he said, obviously relieved.

"You're welcome," she said. " So where is the old battle axe anyway?"

"I don't know," he answered. "She's been locked in her office all morning but no one knows why…Cant be good though, this only happens when the shit's about to hit the fan."

She smiled, "Yet another reason for me to be glad I'm gone."

"You behave yourself," Terry ordered. "I don't wanna hear about you slapping anyone on your first day."

"I wouldn't do that," Fiona insisted. "Not on the first day."

---------------------------------

"So what happened?" Tessa asked as she parked her car in front of the hotel. Maria had gone to bed before they left for dinner, saying that her stomach was bothering her and Fiona had ditched them an hour before that, insisting that she couldn't possibly go another minute without changing her clothes. Tessa had given Henley time to shower and change, they'd gone to dinner and caught up on each other's lives. Now it was time to get serious.

"What happened with what?" Henley asked, reaching over to open her door.

"What happened last night?" Tessa reached over and stopped her. "You don't get drunk like that for no reason."

Henley raised a brow, giving her a look. Tessa rolled her eyes. Of their group of friends, the two of them probably had the highest tolerance for alcohol and they weren't party girls but they definitely weren't afraid of a little alcohol induced fun.

"You know what I mean Hen," Tessa glared. "You don't just go out and get completely blitzed with someone you just met, regardless of how cool they seem to be, for no reason. So what happened?"

It was Henley's turn to roll her eyes and she crossed her arms over her chest, a sure sign that she didn't want to answer the question. Tessa had known her for years. She knew her tells.

"I have no problem keeping you in this car all night,"

"I saw Hunter and Stephanie," Henley answered. "We were coming into the hotel and they were in the lobby. I just froze and Fiona suggested we go get some drinks."

Tessa sighed, running a hand through her hair. She knew that this was going to be difficult for Henley. And Henley was no fool, she knew it too. It still sucked though and she wished there was some way to make things easier for her friend. She knew what Henley had done was wrong but Hunter did something wrong too and no one seemed to want to punish him or make him uncomfortable. Tessa took Henley's hand, "I'm sorry."

Henley shrugged, "Don't be."

"You want me to punch him or something?" she suggested.

Henley laughed but they both knew Tessa would probably do it. She wouldn't be where she was if it weren't for Henley. When they were coming up together, Henley had let Tessa sleep on her couch when she didn't have a place to stay because she wasn't getting enough money working show to show and Henley had a full time job. When Henley got her contract, she pushed for WWE scouts to look at Tessa until someone finally listened just to shut her up. She owed her a lot.

"Can we get out of the car now?" the blonde looked over at her.

"Do you need to cry or anything?" Tessa asked.

Henley pretended to think about it and blink a few times before shaking her head, "No, I think I'll be okay for now."

"Fine," they got out and Tessa locked the doors. "If you need to cry once you get in your room you're gonna have to call Maria. You know I don't do that shit."

"You're such a bitch," Henley laughed, putting an arm around her as they walked toward the doors. They heard a loud laugh and Henley looked over to see Randy Orton walking up to the hotel's front door with a very busty redhead on his arm.

"Who's that?" Henley pointed to the woman.

"Are you kidding?" Tessa laughed, "He probably doesn't even know."

---------------------------------

Chris didn't realize how tired he was until he was standing at the door to his room. He and Matt had a signing that ran late and, of course, after that Matt wanted to go eat. He could be a bottomless pit sometimes. Now, all Chris wanted to do was get some sleep so he wouldn't fall asleep during the house show the next day. He walked into his room and leaned against the door, closing his eyes and enjoying the darkness. His eyes snapped open when he heard a noise in the bathroom.

"What the fuck?"

There was another noise and Chris slowly crept away from the door, reaching inside the closest, grabbing the closest thing to him so he would have a weapon. There was definitely someone in his room. He really didn't need this shit.

_Please don't have a gun…_

He took a deep breath before reaching forward and slowly turning the knob. He took another breath and then pushed the door open.

---------------------------------

Fiona screamed when the bathroom door flew open. She was ready for some intruder to come in and kill her. Instead, she saw Chris Irvine standing in the doorway, holding a hanger. She screamed again, pulling her towel tightly around her.

"Oh my God!" he turned around. "I am so sorry."

"What the _hell_ are you doing in here?" she asked angrily.

"This is my room," he held up a key with the room number on it. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Obviously I was under the impression that it was _my_ room," she said, tightening her towel again. "You scared the _shit_ out of me."

"I thought you were gonna rob me," he explained.

"I thought you were gonna _kill_ me!" Fiona squeaked. "This is insane. How did this happen?"

"No idea," Chris said. "I slept in this room last night. I figured I was the only one with a key."

"I stayed in a friend's room last night," Fiona explained.

"They double booked us," Chris shook his head. "They must have."

"They double booked us?" Fiona stared. "What kind of _dumbass_ would do that?"

Chris shrugged, "Wasn't me."

Fiona stared for a second, not sure whether she should laugh or go bitch until someone lost their job. Then she noticed the object in Chris's hand again.

"Why the hell are you holding a hanger?" she asked.

Chris looked down at his hand and then laughed a little, "I was gonna beat you down with it if I had to."

"With a hanger?" she found herself giggling.

"It was the closest weapon, okay?" he laughed.

She laughed with him, shaking her head. This was quite a first meeting. She made sure the corner of her towel was tucked tightly enough that it wouldn't unravel.

"You can turn around," she said. "I'm sufficiently covered."

"You sure?" Chris asked.

"Positive," she nodded.

He turned around, looking amused and a little embarrassed.

"So um...what exactly do we do here?" Fiona asked, trying to stop laughing.

"I'll go downstairs and get another room," He offered.

Fiona didn't respond at first. She was a little surprised that he was being so nice. Most people would have made her go through like an hour of 'you go get another room..no you go get another room'.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I burst in on you almost naked," Chris said. "The least I can do is not make you go downstairs and get another room."

Fiona smiled, "I appreciate that...I'm Fiona Tyler by the way."

"I know," he nodded, extending his hand to her, "Chris Irvine."

"I know," she smiled.

He was still shaking her hand and she raised a brow, wondering when he planned on letting go.

"Sorry," he let go.

"It's okay," she shook her head.

There was an awkward silence for a second and then Chris ran a hand through his hair, "I uh..I guess I'll let you get back to what you were doing."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"See you later," he said, walking away.

"Bye."

---------------------------------


	3. It's Been A While

**Here's Chapter 3, Hope you like it. Again, I'd appreciate some feedback on the story and to those of you wondering, there should be a chapter of Truth in Deceit up in the next week.** **Read, Enjoy, & Review!!**

**Chapter 3...**

_Sunday Morning_

Stephanie zipped her last bag easily and then pulled it off of the bed, pulling it over next to the others behind the couch. She had triple checked to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind in the hotel and now she just needed to call Hunter.

As if on cue, the door to their room opened and her husband entered, pulling his headphones out of his ears. He'd gone for an early workout with Dave and Randy.

"Steph, our flight's not until tomorrow morning," he gestured to her bags. "What's all this?"

"I have to leave early," she explained. "Dad called a little while ago. There's been some venue issue that he wants me to take care of."

"Why isn't he taking care of it?"

"I don't know Hunter," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "You know my father, sometimes he just likes to test us. Make sure we can handle these things in case he somehow becomes incapacitated."

Hunter laughed, "That sounds like Vince."

"I'm leaving for Atlanta right away," she looked down at her watch. "Trish is taking me to the airport. I've gotta meet her downstairs in 10 minutes."

Hunter frowned, "Why didn't you ask me to take you? I don't have to do anything until the show tonight."

"I know but…Trish needed to talk to me about something," Stephanie answered. "I promised her some alone time. It's not a big deal. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you alright?" he asked, taking a drink from his water bottle. She nodded, "I'm fine. Can you help me get these downstairs?"

---------------------------------

Chris stepped onto the elevator when it opened, running a hand through his hair. He had finally gotten a little sleep and he felt like a new man. He looked over to the side, smiling when he saw Fiona Tyler in the corner, cell phone pressed to her ear. He gave her a small wave and she smiled at him, listening to whoever was on the other end of the call. He'd heard a lot of things about Fiona from guys he knew in TNA. Most of it was bad. According to his sources, she had an ego the size of Andre The Giant and she had no problem telling other people about their shortcomings. He knew that she had basically been picked out of a magazine and asked to come to TNA. Maybe that had something to do with it. Part of him could see why she was so overly confident. She was absolutely gorgeous with thick chocolate brown hair flowing in loose curls past her shoulders, striking green eyes, and high cheekbones and lips that seemed to always be on the verge of a smirk. Chris looked away, realizing he was staring and turned his eyes up to the numbers counting down as they slowly descended to the first floor.

She didn't seem like the evil harpy people made her out to be when he met her the night before. She handled the room situation pretty well considering he walked into her bathroom unannounced and wielding a hanger.

"Okay I'll talk to you later," she said. "Bye."

He looked over when he heard her call ending, smiling again and feeling stupid as soon as he did it.

"Well if it isn't Mommie Dearest," she smirked.

"Wire hanger reference," he pointed. "Very nice."

"I thought so," she smiled.

"I want to apologize again for that," he said.

"It's okay, really. It's not your fault," she reassured him. "You did scare the life out of me but…I can try to get past it."

"Well I appreciate that," he smiled. "You're a kind soul."

"Always," she nodded.

"So can I assume you'll be using that against me for the rest of the time we know each other?" he asked.

"I'd say it's a pretty safe assumption," she nodded.

"Good to know," he laughed.

She laughed and he decided that he liked her smile. It made her nose and the corners of her eyes crinkle.

They finally reached the first floor and he nodded for her to go first. She walked out, looking back at him over her shoulder, "So, where are you off to?"

"Meeting a friend," he looked down at his watch, seeing that he was already a few minutes late. "You?"

"Shopping," she answered. "Seems I forgot a few things at home so I need to pick up some replacements before we leave for Atlanta tomorrow."

Chris nodded, "Sounds fun. Are you coming to the show tonight?"

"I'm not really sure," she shrugged.

"Well you should," he said. "I'd like to see you there."

She looked surprised for about a half a second and then she just smiled at him, "I'll think about it."

Something about her smile had a way of making him feel like an awkward teenager, "I should go…I'll see you later."

She waved, "Bye."

---------------------------------

Henley hoped she didn't bump into anything as she walked down the hall trying to respond to Maria's text message. Maria wanted her to go somewhere with her but Henley already had plans and she was late. She pressed the down button next to the elevator and waited, hoping it didn't take too long, frowning when she noticed a chip in her dark nail polish.

"_Wow_….So you _are_ back."

Henley tensed a little when she heard the voice behind her. She turned, spotting Trish Stratus walking toward her, arms crossed over her chest.

"I am," Henley nodded, wondering where the hell the elevator was. She was on her way to a perfectly pleasant brunch with her friend. But there, in her face, was Trish Stratus…Best friend of Stephanie McMahon and woman who had taken great joy in dragging Henley's already soiled name through the mud for the past year.

"Good to see you," Trish smiled. She looked Henley up and down, "Have you gained weight?"

Henley laughed a little, shaking her head. She bit back a response, trying to be understanding. If someone had done to Maria or Tessa what Henley had done to Stephanie, she would probably spit in their face every time she saw them so she didn't feel right telling Trish to kiss her ass. But she wanted to. She _really, really_ wanted to. And she'd actually _lost_ weight.

Trish smiled, "I understand. Your ass is bound to get big when all you do is sit at home."

"Ah Trish, still as sharp and quick witted as ever," Henley smiled. "Do you have a 'yo mama' joke for me next?"

Trish's arrogant smile wavered but she recovered, "You know, I'm really glad I ran into you. When I heard you were here, I was gonna get your phone number from one of the guys."

Henley's eyebrow twitched at the subtle shot but she ignored it, "You wanted to talk to me?"

Trish nodded, "I wanted to get something straight with you..You're back here because for whatever reason Vince feels that we need you but I wanna make sure you know that you're not off the hook…You tried to ruin my best friend's marriage and I haven't forgotten that. No one has."

"Trish, I don't want to do this, okay?" Henley sighed. "I don't want to fight with you. You have every right to have a problem with me but…I'm not here for this. I'm here to keep my head down and do my job. That's all."

"Well you do that," Trish said. "Just make sure when you're keeping your head down, it doesn't end up in Hunter's lap."

A bell sounded and the elevator doors finally opened. Henley quickly walked onto the elevator and Trish smiled, shrugging, "I think I'll just wait for the next one."

---------------------------------

"So you blatantly lied to your brother?" Maria smirked at Matt, shaking her head. "Matt Hardy, I am surprised at you."

"I didn't lie," Matt defended himself. "At the time, I thought it was just a rumor. How was I supposed to know about Fiona? I don't hire and fire people around here."

Matt's intent was never to deceive Jeff. He truly hadn't known about Fiona until he saw her in the hotel lobby. He knew there was a rumor going around about her getting a contract but he figured it was just a rumor.

"Well when are you gonna tell him?" Maria asked.

"I'm not gonna tell him," Matt shook his head. "Not until after his meeting."

Maria looked surprised, "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, I know Fiona has a reputation but, she seems nice."

"Jeff says she's the spawn of the devil and he'll never work with her again," Matt said simply. "The last thing I wanna do before his big meeting is tell him she's here."

"Well he's gonna find out eventually."

"Exactly," Matt nodded. "He's gonna find out when it's too late for him to change his mind."

"You're sure that's a good idea?" she looked concerned.

He appreciated her concern. She was a good friend. But he knew what he was doing.

"I'm sure."

--------------------------------

"And you burst into the bathroom like a madman?" Henley laughed.

"Not like a madman," Chris defended himself.

She gave him a look.

"Okay slightly like a madman," he admitted. "What do you expect? I thought someone was waiting to kill me or something."

Henley laughed, shaking her head and Chris tried not to join her but he couldn't help it. It was a funny story. And he'd told her to make her laugh. When she showed up at the restaurant, she looked upset. He'd gotten to know Henley during some time he spent in OVW working off a little ring rust after he injured his shoulder. She was training a few girls at the time and he watched some of her sessions, becoming very impressed with her passion for the work she did. Obviously, he'd heard about what happened and, having been cheated on himself, he wasn't inclined to give her much of a chance but he ended up getting to know her and found that she seemed like a really good person who did a really bad thing. She shouldn't be punished for it forever. And he felt for her. She'd lost most of the people she thought were her friends and the few friends she did have were on the road all the time. Once he was well enough to get back on the road, they kept in touch.

"So you just got a different room?" she asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, for free, to make up for the mix up."

"Well that was nice," she laughed. "Lucky for you Fiona's cool and didn't call the cops on you."

"You know her?" Chris asked.

"Mmhmm," Henley nodded, eating some of her salad. "We met on Friday and got wasted together."

Chris laughed, shaking his head, "Nice job."

"It was a rough day," Henley shrugged. She smiled, "So?"

"So what?" he looked at her, confused.

"So when are you gonna tell me you like her?" she asked.

"Like who?" Chris laughed.

"Don't be cute," she pointed her fork at him. "You have that schoolboy crush look."

"Henley, I just met her," Chris insisted. "And I'm a grown man, I don't have crushes."

"Okay, fine, you're interested, is that a more adult way of saying it?" she asked.. "You obviously couldn't wait to tell me about meeting her."

"Because it was a funny story," Chris insisted.

"And that's the only reason?" Henley raised a brow.

Chris shook his head, realizing he'd been backed into a corner. Henley had made her mind up and there was nothing he could say to convince her she was wrong. He wasn't entirely sure that she was wrong. But he wasn't about to tell her that.

---------------------------------

"Thanks for giving me a ride on such short notice Trish," Stephanie said as Trish helped her get her bags out of the trunk.

"Don't be silly," Trish waved her friend off. "Besides, you sounded like you really needed to talk."

"I did need to talk to you about something," Stephanie admitted. Her motives for asking Trish to drive her to the airport had been more selfish than not. She needed a favor.

"What's up?" Trish asked.

"It's clear to me that with things like this coming up, I cant be around Hunter all the time," Stephanie said. "And to be honest, that makes me a little nervous…I just want you to keep an eye on him when I'm not around. Let me know if I have reason to be concerned."

"I would do that even if you didn't ask," Trish assured her. "I've already made it clear to Henley that she needs to stay far away from Hunter."

Stephanie reached forward, giving the blonde a hug. She didn't bother telling Trish that she wasn't just worried about Henley staying away from Hunter. She was worried about Hunter staying away from Henley.

---------------------------------

5:30 P.M.

"Did Steph get everything worked out for tomorrow?" Dave asked as Hunter walked into the locker room, hanging up his cell phone.

"Yeah," Hunter nodded, tossing his phone into his gym bag. "She said everything's good to go."

"Listen, you're comin' out with me and Randy tonight," Dave informed him. "We're going to a bar after the show."

Hunter suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at his good friend. Dave was pushy by nature. He never seemed to ask questions. He just walked around making statements and demands.

"I am?" Hunter looked over at him.

"Yes, you are," Dave said. He smirked, "We don't want you sitting up in your hotel room eating bon bons because the wife's away."

"His words," Randy put his hands up. "Not mine. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Randy was definitely the easier to deal with of the two. With Ric and Shawn not traveling year round anymore, Randy had probably become Hunter's closest friend.

"Don't listen to him, you don't have a choice," Dave insisted.

Randy laughed, shaking his head, "Do you ever get tired of being obnoxious?"

"Every once in a while," Dave smirked. "But I get past it."

"I'll come," Hunter shrugged. "There's nothing more entertaining than watching Dave get shot down all night."

Dave shook his head, "That'll never happen."

Dave rifled through his bag for something and then cursed, walking out of the room in a hurry.

"So…" Randy stood up, stretching his arms. "How is everything?"

"Everything's fine," Hunter shrugged, pulling off his t-shirt and dropping it on top of his bag.

"You sure about that?" Randy asked.

"Randy if you're getting at something, get to it?" Hunter looked over at him. He'd felt the looks from the moment he got to the building.

"Henley's gonna be here," Randy said. "I heard Maria saying something about her coming with the new girl."

"I figured she'd be here," Hunter nodded.

"Look I'm not trying to have a deep emotional discussion with you or anything, I was just wondering how you plan on dealing with this," Randy shrugged. "It's gonna be pretty damn awkward."

Hunter sighed, sitting down, "How am I supposed to deal with it?"

"I'm the last person to ask," Randy laughed. "I've never really been in your position. Just…don't do anything stupid I guess."

"I hadn't planned on it," Hunter laughed.

"Listen, I gotta go talk to Chris about our match," Randy said. "I'll be back."

Hunter watched as Randy left and then he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

"_Henley just listen-"_

"_Listen to _what_ Hunter?!" Henley's voice cracked as she turned to face him, her brown eyes filling with tears. "I think I heard everything you had to say."_

"_I'm sorry," he said, at a loss for words. _

_She just glared at him, her jaw clenched tightly. Her body was trembling with anger and he couldn't blame her._

"_I don't believe you," she shook her head. _

_He reached for her and she yanked her arm away roughly, "Don't _ever_ touch me again. _Ever_."_

Hunter rubbed his hands over his face, his last argument with Henley playing in his mind. He'd had a dream the night before about it and when he woke up, all he could do was hope that he hadn't said her name in his sleep. He'd tried countless times to get in touch with her while she was gone. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry again but she'd avoided him like the plague. She ignored his phone calls until eventually her phone number changed. He wrote her a letter that he was pretty sure she never read. He'd done everything but show up at her apartment. Now they were going to be in the same building and he had a chance to try again. He just hoped she would listen this time.

---------------------------------

"Okay, so this is the catering area, I'm sure you've seen one of these before," Henley shrugged.

Fiona laughed, "The one in TNA isn't quite as nice as this."

Henley laughed, picking up a piece of fruit.

Since they'd arrived at the arena, Henley had been showing her around, helping her get accustomed to the backstage setup and introducing her to most of the crew, who seemed thrilled to see the blonde.

"I don't think I know any of the TNA crew guys by name," Fiona admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"That is a problem," Henley said. "Make a point to know these guys. They make our lives a lot easier. And they can make them a lot harder if they don't like us."

"Good point," Fiona laughed.

Henley walked ahead and Fiona slowed, looking around. She tried to play it cool a lot of the time but she had to admit she was verging on giddy to be backstage at her first WWE show, even though she wasn't actually going on. Just knowing that she would be soon was exciting enough.

"You're totally staring at my ass aren't you?" Henley looked over her shoulder as they continued walking.

"I am," Fiona nodded. "It's fantastic."

"Thank you," Henley laughed.

"Seriously though," Fiona said, actually taking a few seconds to look. "You do have a great ass."

Henley laughed again, "Thanks. And the same to you."

"Thank you," Fiona laughed.

"Okay, this is the women's dressing room," Henley did her best Vanna White gesturing to the sign on the door. "Some arenas we're all in one, some arenas we're split up in little groups. Here, of course, they're all in one."

"That must be interesting," Fiona said.

"Oh I'm sure it is," Henley said, tapping her knuckles on the door before opening it.

Fiona followed her in, feeling a little relieved when she saw that the room was empty. She'd been pleasantly surprised at how welcoming Henley, Maria, and Tessa were but she couldn't imagine all the divas being so enthusiastic about her presence.

"This place should be full in a few minutes," Henley shrugged.

Fiona noticed Henley jump when the door opened behind them. They both turned to see Trish Stratus walk in. The Canadian blonde smiled brightly at Fiona but her smile fell when she saw Henley.

"Fiona Tyler, meet Trish Stratus," Henley smiled. "Don't mind the look, I always seem to have that effect on her."

Fiona laughed out loud and then tried to regain composure. She'd noticed the tension but she hadn't expected anyone to point it out.

"It's nice to meet you Fiona," Trish shook her hand. "I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the company. Stephanie's pretty excited about you."

"That's great to know," Fiona smiled. "Thank you."

Trish walked past Henley without another word and Henley clapped her hands together, "So..where to next?"

"Anywhere less awkward than this," Fiona whispered.

"Deal," Henley led the way out of the room. Once they were out of earshot, Henley stopped, turning to Fiona, "Trish and Stephanie are best friends. I'm sure you've heard that."

"I have," Fiona nodded. "I figured that was the reason for the daggers she was shooting you."

Henley nodded, "Very perceptive."

"I try," Fiona smirked.

"I do not have time for this."

The women stopped talking when they heard a male voice coming around the corner.

"It's not my problem, it's yours…You cant just keep calling me like this."

Chris Irvine rounded the corner, face growing red with anger.

"I have to go," he said. "I have to go. Bye."

He snapped his phone shut, stopping when he spotted them staring in his direction. Henley looked away, focusing on a picture hanging on the wall as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Fiona didn't bother to act as if she hadn't been listening.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

"What?" he seemed surprised. "Uh..yeah, everything's fine."

"You seemed a little agitated," she pointed out.

"I was," he admitted. "That was uh..my building manager."

Chris was obviously lying but Fiona didn't see any reason to call him on it. They'd just met, he didn't have any obligation to tell her his life story.

"Well, if he really gets on your nerves you could always-"

"Don't say beat him with a hanger," he smirked.

"Well now you've ruined my punch line," she rolled her eyes. "I'm done with you."

"Try to be a little more creative next time," he suggested, the tension seeming to lift from his shoulders. She was glad she could put him at ease. His handsome face looked much better with a smile.

"Damn, I just remembered I left something in the car," Henley snapped her fingers. "I'm gonna go get it. Chris, you don't mind hanging with Fiona so she doesn't get lost, right? I didn't think so. I'll be back."

Henley walked past, patting Chris on the shoulder before, her heels clicking away quickly.

---------------------------------

Henley walked away quickly before Chris could stop her, smiling to herself. He'd been fuming, more than likely after a conversation with his ex-wife but 30 seconds around Fiona and he was smiling ear to ear and trying to act cool. She'd made an excuse to get away so they would have a few minutes alone, hopefully enough time for Chris to make some sort of a move.

She was walking around a corner when she hit something and felt herself go spinning. Before she could hit the opposite wall, she bumped into something else and then felt a strong pair of hands steady her. She looked up, seeing what had made her careen across the hall. None other than Dave Batista.

"You alright?" she heard a voice close to her ear and she realized that the hands were still on her arms. She turned to see the 'something else' she'd bumped into was Randy Orton.

"Yeah," she nodded, her gaze shifting back to Dave, who was standing a few feet away, shaking his head.

"You really ought to watch where you're going," Dave said. "You could get hurt if you're not more careful."

"Randy please let me go so I can punch your friend in the face," Henley said as calmly as she could manage.

"I'm gonna say no to that," he said, pulling her further away from Dave.

"What do you wanna punch me for?" Dave smiled. "You think I did that on purpose?"

"Dave," Randy sounded annoyed. "Weren't you going somewhere?"

"I was but now that Henley here wants to tussle, maybe I'll stay," Dave smirked.

"Please do," Henley tried to pull her arms out of Randy's grasp but he held firm. For a moment she wondered if Randy was just holding her so Dave could taunt her further. She wouldn't be surprised. She barely even knew him.

"Dave," Randy said, his tone stern. "Go."

"Fine, fine," Dave put his hands up, obviously amused. "You two play nice. Careful around those corners Henley."

Dave walked away and Henley thought about following but Randy didn't let go.

"He's gone now," she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I know that," he said. "I'm just giving him time to get away so you don't go after him."

"You're a good friend," she rolled her eyes as he released her.

She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest, "Why is it that I keep finding myself stuck with you and Dave?"

"Don't know," he shrugged. "But I might not be around next time so maybe you should learn to just walk away. He's obviously not going to."

Before she could say anything else, he walked away and she stared after him, unable to decide if she was grateful he'd been there or not.

---------------------------------

"So what made you decide to take Vince's offer?" Chris asked, leaning against the wall.

"How could I not?" Fiona shrugged. "I mean..TNA has some amazingly talented people but..they don't know how to use them. I know I didn't train for years like all of the guys but I've learned a lot in my time in the business and it seemed to me that I'd have a better career making this move. And then there's the fact that AJ was constantly whining and Jeff was off finding himself, and if I had to get dressed in the same room with Karen Angle again, I was probably going to need some long term counseling."

Chris laughed, she certainly spoke her mind. He admired that. Granted, she had more bad things to say about her former coworkers than good but he couldn't help but laugh at some of the comments she made. He was beginning to think most of what he'd heard about her was true but he liked her anyway. There was just something about her.

"You're staring," she raised a brow at him. "Am I overdressed?"

She wore a short strapless dress with yellow and white stripes and a flowy skirt, her small waist cinched with a green leather belt.

"No, you look perfect," he said.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she smiled.

Chris smiled sheepishly, "Sorry about the staring."

"I didn't say I mind," she smiled.

"Good," he said. "Because I cant seem to help it."

She giggled, "Good."

"I don't know about you Fiona," he shook his head. "You seem like a trouble maker."

---------------------------------

"Is that a bad thing?" Fiona smirked, crossing her arms.

Chris shrugged, "I guess we'll see."

"Good to see you two are having fun," Henley returned, smiling.

"Chris is very good company," Fiona winked at him, thoroughly enjoying flirting with him.

"I should really get going," Chris looked at his watch. "I need to get dressed for my match and I haven't seen Randy yet."

"I saw him a few minutes ago," Henley said. "He was going this way."

Henley gestured for her friends to follow. Fiona walked behind her and Chris followed. Fiona waited a few seconds and then looked over her shoulder, amused when Chris had to quickly look up from her backside. Henley stopped at one of the large locker rooms that the men were using for the night, grabbing the doorknob and lightly knocking the same way she had at the women's door. She pulled the door open and Fiona had to hold back a gasp when she saw Hunter Levesque on the other side.

Fiona was ready to grab the popcorn and pull up a chair as Hunter and Henley stared at each other for a few seconds, both of them holding on to the door. She looked like she was clenching her jaw and he seemed to be holding his breath. Henley let go of the doorknob, averting his gaze but Hunter's eyes stayed on her, attempting to make contact with hers.

"Hunter," Chris stepped in, obviously unable to handle the tension any longer. "Have you met Fiona yet?"

Fiona wanted to tell Chris to be quiet but it was too late, he'd gotten Hunter's attention and Henley was obviously grateful, taking a step back.

"Fiona Tyler," she extended her hand to him.

His much larger hand engulfed hers and he flashed her a charming smile, "It's nice to meet you Fiona. I've heard a lot about you."

"All bad, I'm sure," she winced.

"Not all," he smiled. "I'm sure you'll make a nice addition to the roster. We're excited to have you."

"Thank you," she said, noticing how hard it seemed to be for him to keep his eyes on her and away from Henley. "I'm _really_ excited to see how things play out."

---------------------------------

Hunter tried his best to focus on talking to Fiona but he was finding it impossible with Henley standing three feet away from him.

"Well you'll have a better idea of where things will go after the meeting tomorrow," Hunter said, although he was pretty sure Fiona wasn't talking about business when she referred to things 'playing out'. She kept looking back and forth between him and Henley with the curious eyes. Chris looked uncomfortable and a little bit annoyed. Henley looked like she would rather be anywhere else on Earth than the spot she was in. Her big brown eyes were looking up at the ceiling one second and down at the floor the next, they landed everywhere except on Hunter. He knew he wasn't going to have too many opportunities. Everyone's eyes were on him, especially Trish, who had been unusually attentive all day.

"Excuse me," he smiled at Fiona before turning to Henley, taking a step closer to her. Surprisingly, she didn't move as he leaned down to speak quietly to her, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She didn't respond and he took a deep breath, inadvertently filling his nostrils with the scent of her lotion and perfume, "Henley…Please?"

She took a step back, shaking her head, "No."

She looked over at Fiona, "I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel. Suddenly I'm not feeling well."

---------------------------------

_Sunday Night…_

"Hey Randy," Dave smirked. He pointed with his beer, "Look who's here."

Randy followed his friend's gaze to the other side of the bar, rolling his eyes when he saw Candice Michelle. She was sitting at a table with Melina.

"Why don't you go say 'Hi'?" Dave nudged him.

Randy glared at Dave. He couldn't seem to get enough of the fact that Candice had a thing for Randy. He thought it was hilarious that Randy didn't return her attraction.

"Why don't _you_?" Randy countered. "I'm sure Melina would like that."

It was Dave's turn to glare. He didn't seem so tickled at the mention of Melina. Their relationship hadn't ended very well.

"That was uncalled for," Dave pointed.

Randy shrugged, drinking some of his beer to keep from laughing.

"She's not looking over here is she?" Dave asked.

Randy shook his head, "Not yet."

Dave breathed a sigh of relief.

Randy looked over at Hunter who obviously wasn't paying attention to them. He normally got a kick out of harassing both of them about Candice and Melina.

"So I heard Vince is thinking about putting the new girl with Adam," Randy looked over at Hunter for confirmation.

Hunter was looking into his drink and didn't respond.  
"He needs to put her with Batista," Dave smirked. "I can show her the ropes."

"I doubt she'll be interested," Randy smirked.

"Shut up," Dave smacked him upside his head.

Randy looked over at Hunter who was now looking at his watch and then at his drink again. He'd been this quiet all night and it was starting to get to Randy.

"Maybe they should put her with Trish and do some kind of lesbian angle," he suggested.

Once again, no response from Hunter.

"Hunter," Randy slapped his hand down on the table.

Hunter didn't jump, he simply turned to Randy looking annoyed, "What?"

"What's your problem?" Randy asked. "You've been acting like a zombie since we got here."

"Just because I don't wanna talk about Fiona going down on Trish or vice versa doesn't mean I'm a zombie," Hunter said, finishing his drink and signaling for another one.

Dave laughed, "It doesn't?"

Hunter rolled his eyes.

Randy shook his head, irritated. He didn't come to the bar to watch Hunter sulk.

"He's just feeling a little down because his mistress wont talk to him," Dave said.

"She is not my mistress," Hunter glared.

"She was," Dave said. "I think it's good that she wont talk to you. I mean, I get it, you got a cheap thrill with the whole screwing the hot blonde coworker thing but you really gotta get over it man."

"I _am_ over it," Hunter said as the waitress brought his new drink.

"You were fine before she got back and now you're all quiet and mopey," Dave said. "I wouldn't call that being over it."

Hunter was silent.

"Look, I know you probably don't wanna hear it..but we all know she was only sleeping with you to get ahead. She's mad because she had a sweet deal and then she got caught and it messed up her career. It's as simple as that. Quit acting like you were so in love and now you're all heartbroken."

Hunter pulled out his wallet and tossed a twenty on the table, then got up and left without a word.

Randy turned to Dave, giving him a look.

"What?" Dave shrugged. "What'd I say?"

Randy shook his head, "Nevermind."

---------------------------------

Fiona yawned as she walked down the hall, ice bucket in her hand. She could have sworn she'd seen the ice machine when Chris was walking her to her room but somehow, she'd gone all the way down the hall and around the corner and hadn't found it yet. She smiled a little, remembering Chris's offer to walk her back to her room. He'd been such a gentleman so far. He hadn't even tried to kiss her. She hoped it didn't last too long. Her first few days had certainly been more interesting than she'd expected. She hadn't exactly enjoyed having someone burst in on her after her shower but Chris had made up for it. He was cute. Very cute. And very funny. Terry would probably accuse her of liking him if she told him that but she wouldn't go that far. She'd only known the man for a day. She sighed in relief, finally seeing the ice machine at the end of the hall. She sped up a little, eyes focused on the machine when, suddenly, she saw nothing but a shirtless, slightly hairy chest in front of her face.

---------------------------------

Jeff ran a hand through his hair, listening as his father congratulated him on making the jump back to the WWE. Jeff had gotten a surprise call that morning from Vince McMahon telling him that he wanted him to come early for his meeting. He wanted Jeff in Atlanta Monday morning. Jeff had decided to surprise Matt by showing up at the hotel the night before and flying to Atlanta with him but he couldn't get a hold of his brother and the woman at the front desk was completely unwilling to bend the rules and give him a key to Matt's room. He would just have to catch him in the morning before it was time to leave for the airport.

"I'm glad you're happy dad," Jeff said, picking up the keys to his rental car. He had gotten hungry all of a sudden and he didn't feel like ordering room service.

"You should be happy too son," Gil said. "You're back where you belong."

"I guess so," Jeff said, not bothering to remind his father again that nothing was set in stone. He still had to meet with Vince. He opened the door, walking out and closing it quietly behind him. He took a few steps but before he could get far, he felt someone walk into him. He stumbled back a little, and had to look down to see who it was. He found himself staring into a pair of green eyes that he'd hoped he wouldn't see for a long time.

"Dad," he cut off his father mid-rant. "Let me call you back."

Before his father could respond, he hung up, staring at Fiona, "What are you doing here?"

---------------------------------

Fiona couldn't believe it. She blinked, praying that her mind was just playing cruel, cruel tricks on her. When her eyes opened though, he was still standing there. Jeff Hardy in all his shirtless, hillbilly glory.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, annoyed.

"I asked you first," he said.

"Shouldn't you be back in North Carolina no-showing some TNA meeting?" she asked.

His jaw clenched a little at the jab and Fiona smirked.

"Please tell me you're just sleeping with one of the guys around here and you didn't actually get a job," Jeff said.

"I was about to say the same thing to you," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Vince couldn't possibly have been dumb enough to take you back."

---------------------------------

Jeff felt his jaw clench again. He did what he usually did to calm himself in her presence, he just imaged himself putting his hand over her face and pushing her out of his way. It helped a little. Not enough though..

"I cant believe this," he shook his head. "No one told me I was gonna have to work with the devil when I came back here."

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky to be working with me again."

"You amaze me," he shook his head. "I have never seen someone with such an insane ego."

"At least I didn't have to become a has been for a while to realize I needed to get my shit together," she smirked.

"You know what…I'm too tired for this shit," he said.

"Good because I'm bored of it already," she walked past him.

He shook his head, walking toward the elevator, "Witch."

"Loser!"

---------------------------------


	4. Heavy Cross

**Chapter 4...**

_Monday…_

Fiona tapped her nails on the counter, waiting for her coffee. She'd woken up later than she planned and wasn't able to sleep on the plane so she was in desperate need of caffeine. After a few minutes, the young woman returned with her order and quickly punched some numbers into her register.

"Okay that's $4.73," she smiled.

Fiona reached into her purse but before she could find her money, she saw an arm reach around her and place a five on the counter. She turned, surprised to see Chris smiling at the young woman, "You can keep the change."

"Thanks," the cashier smiled.

"Thank you," Fiona picked up her coffee, looking up at Chris.

"You're welcome," he smiled, leaning on the counter. "But I have to admit…that wasn't just a random act of kindness."

"I see," she smirked. "So I suppose you're expecting something from me now."

"I am," he nodded.

"And what would that be?" she asked, taking a quick sip.

"Well you see, I found myself sitting alone at that table over there," Chris nodded toward a table in the middle of the restaurant. "And by buying you a cup of coffee, I think that I've pretty much made it impossible for you to turn down my offer to come sit with me."

She laughed a little, "I suppose I have time for that."

* * *

Jeff leaned back In his chair for a few seconds and then leaned forward, knees on his elbows, anxiously tapping his heels on the floor. He'd been waiting for Vince for about 10 minutes and to say he was getting antsy was an understatement. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering if he should have dressed up more. He was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He looked down at his watch, seeing that it didn't matter if he was underdressed. He didn't have time to head back to the hotel and change. He heard a voice outside the door and sat up straight, rubbing his hands together. This was It.

The door opened and in walked Vince McMahon. He was 'dressed down', wearing jeans with his blazer and collared shirt, making Jeff feel more confident in his choice of wardrobe.

"Jeff," he smiled, reaching out his hand. "Good to see you."

"You too Mr. McMahon," Jeff smiled, standing up and shaking his former boss's hand. "Nice to be here."

"I apologize for calling you earlier than we'd planned," Vince sat down in a chair across from Jeff's. "I had a bit of a creative inspiration and I thought that we should talk before I decide what to do with it."

"It's fine," Jeff said. "I just switched my flights. No problem at all."

"Good," Vince said. "So…I'm not gonna drag this out. I don't want to waste my time or yours. This isn't an interview. I've seen what you can do. Part of me knows I'd be a fool not to pick you up while you're not under contract anywhere…But there's another part of me that worries about everything that's gone on since you left. That part of me wants to know why I should hire you back here."

Jeff hadn't thought about what he was going to say, even though is father and brother practically told him to write a speech. He didn't work well that way. He just took a deep breath and let the words come out, hoping he didn't sound too stupid, "Look, I cant blame you for having concerns about me. Anyone in their right mind would. I have been a screw up. I had everything going for me and I messed it all up, on my own. I take full responsibility. I'm not gonna be one of those guys who blames it on you or anybody else. The only explanation I can give you is that I lost my way. I don't know how or why, I just know that I did and..I'm sorry for that. But to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't change a thing."

Vince looked surprised but he stayed quiet, allowing Jeff to continue.

"I don't regret anything that's happened because I learned a lot about myself and about this business. And I will make a better investment for you now than I _ever_ would have before. I'm older. I'm better. I'm smarter. And I'm just asking you to give me a chance to prove that to you. You believed in me before, you put a lot on my shoulders and I wanna show you that you weren't wrong. I owe you that."

Vince shook his head, a small smile touching his face, "That's not quite what I was expecting from you Jeff."

He was probably expecting more groveling or ass kissing but Jeff shrugged, "That's all I got."

"Well," Vince stood up, walking past Jeff toward the door and opening it. He smiled, "That's enough for me. Don't tell anyone I was so easily convinced. It'll tarnish my image."

Jeff just stared at Vince, wondering if he was playing some sort of joke on him.

"Come on," Vince gestured for him to get up. "Take a walk down to the ring with me and I'll tell you a little more about that creative inspiration I mentioned earlier before the meeting.

"So we're done here?" Jeff asked.

Vince nodded, "We're done. I've got a contract ready for your lawyers to look over.

* * *

Henley, Maria, and Tessa signed in and walked toward the conference room where they were supposed to have their meeting. As expected, there were quite a few people milling around, talking in small groups. These things never started on time. They always expected to spend at least a half hour just sitting around chatting.

"Chris and Fiona are coming together, right?" Tessa asked.

Henley scanned the small crowd for them, "Yeah. She texted me a few minutes ago. She said they'd be here any minute."

"It's nice to see Chris dating," Tessa commented.

"Don't say that to him," Henley said. "He insists they're not dating and he merely thinks she's attractive."

"That sounds so clinical," Maria made a face.

Henley shrugged, "He's scared. Give him some time."

"He better not take too long," Tessa said. "Something tells me it wont be long before he's got competition."

Tessa said something else but Henley was no longer listening so she hoped Maria was. In her scan of the room, Henley's eyes had landed on a strange sight. Randy Orton looking _extremely_ uncomfortable. He was standing, practically backed into a corner by Candice Michelle and from the gestures she was making with her arms, they seemed to be discussing wrestling moves. At least she hoped that was what they were discussing. She shuddered at the thought of other things they could be talking about and then her sense of duty and honor kicked in. Randy had saved her from Dave. She owed him.

"Excuse me for just a minute guys," Henley parted from her friends, strolling over and pasting on a big smile, "Hey Randy. Candice."

"Hey," Randy looked somewhat relieved to have another person around.

Candice gave her a quick wave

"What are you two talking about?" Henley couldn't resist asking.

"Candice was just asking some questions about the logistics of some of my moves," Randy explained. "Like the backbreaker and the RKO."

Henley bit her lip to hide her smirk.

"Did you need something?" Candice asked, looking impatient.

"I did," Henley gave her best apologetic smile and grabbed Randy's hand. "I need to borrow him for just a few minutes. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, just bring him back," Candice looked annoyed but she smiled through it.

They walked through the growing crowd of WWE crew and around a corner until they were out of sight.

"Thank you," Randy turned to her.

She shrugged, "No need for thanks. Just be prepared for the rumors that you're sleeping with the town whore."

"I'm Randy Orton. There's always a rumor that I'm sleeping with the town whore."

Henley laughed, "I owed you for the whole Dave thing."

Randy shrugged.

"Thanks a lot for that again," she said, feeling sheepish for threatening to hit Dave.

"Don't thank me," he said. "Dave's really not as bad as he seems."

"You sure about that?"

"It seemed like an appropriate thing to say," Randy laughed. "No seriously, he just…he and Steph are pretty good friends and..I'm sure you know where I'm going here."

"I do," she nodded, suddenly feeling extremely awkward for sitting and laughing with someone who was so close to Hunter and Stephanie...And Dave.

"I should go," she started picking at her nails. "Maybe just uh..hang here for a bit, give Candice a little time to move on to someone else before you come out of hiding."

"Probably a good idea, I've got a few calls to make. Thanks for the save."

"Anytime."

* * *

Matt felt a hard smack upside his head and he turned around, ready to deck whoever it was.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, hugging his younger brother tightly when he saw him. "What the hell?"

"I came in early," Jeff explained. "You are an asshole."

"Why am I an asshole?" Matt asked, rubbing the back of his head. "Why'd you come early? Did you get your job back?"

"Fiona _god damn_ Tyler?" Jeff whispered angrily. He had no choice, the very woman was only about 15 feet away, talking with Maria Kanellis and Tessa Lee.

"I really didn't know," Matt insisted. "Did you get your job back?"

"When did you find out?" Jeff put his hands on his hips.

"Okay, fine, I didn't tell you right when I found out," Matt admitted. He was practically bursting. If Jeff didn't answer him soon, he might just punch his little brother. "Did you get your job back?"

Jeff broke into a Cheshire grin and nodded and Matt let out a celebratory yell, wrapping his brother into another tight hug.

"I told you," Matt patted him on the back. "I told you."

"You were right," Jeff said, hugging back. Then, he smacked Matt again, even harder this time, on the back of the head. "That's for not telling me about Fiona."

* * *

Henley felt herself wringing her hands as she watched Matt and Jeff Hardy pushing each other around. She'd been trying to work up the nerve to go talk to Matt for a few minutes and she was pretty sure her hands hurt enough for her to do it. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and set her feet in Matt's direction.

"Hey Matt, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few seconds before the meeting starts," she smiled politely during a break in the brothers' conversation.

Jeff looked like he was waiting for a response but nothing ever came. Matt didn't even look at her. He just walked away, and, looking completely confused, Jeff followed him.

Henley's breath was caught by the lump that formed in her throat and she closed her mouth, looking down at her feet. Apparently, they'd taken her in the wrong direction.

"_What_ was that?"

Henley brought her eyes up from the floor when she heard Fiona's voice.

"Huh?"

"That looked pretty bad," Fiona winced.

Henley shrugged, shaking her head, "What? Everything's fine."

Disbelief was written all over Fiona's face, "Henley, this whole 'I was wrong and I deserve to be beat up' thing that you do…I understand it but, you do realize that it's okay for you to admit that sometimes your feelings get hurt, right?"

Henley crossed her arms over her chest.

"You have to talk to someone," Fiona said. "I'm not sure there's people beating down the door to hear your woes so I'm just letting you know…I'm willing to listen."

Henley smiled. She could tell that there was one thing that would always be consistent with Fiona. She was going to be honest and she would say what she was thinking. Henley couldn't explain how much she liked that in a person.

"Matt used to be one of my really, really close friends," Henley admitted. "But…he wont speak to me anymore."

"Because of the Hunter thing."

Henley nodded.

"When was the last time you spoke?"

"On my last day," Henley sighed. "I went to Matt to tell him that I'd miss hanging out with him and that I wanted him to call me all the time and that I'd call him and I wanted us to try to hang out when we could. I just wanted him to know that I didn't want things to change too much."

"And he said?"

"Bye," Henley said in a dry tone, with a blank expression.

Fiona stared.

"Yeah," Henley winced. "It was one of those really touching moments."

"Obviously," Fiona raised her eyebrows.

"So yeah, I tried calling a few times and then I got the message," Henley shrugged, looking around the room. She smirked when she saw a set of eyes locked on Fiona. Dave Batista was staring at her like he'd been starved for years and she was a free steak buffet.

"You seem to have an admirer," Henley nodded in his direction.

"You know, I used to think he was so hot before his nose got all messed up," Fiona shook her head.

"And now?"

"I still think he's hot," Fiona admitted. "I just have to make sure to put that disclaimer on it now."

Henley laughed, "Good call."

"Anything special I should know about him?" Fiona asked.

"He doesn't rub too many people the wrong way," Henley shrugged. "He tends to keep to his core group but a lot of people around here _really_ like him."

"And _you_?" Fiona smiled.

"Not my favorite person," Henley admitted. "But, you might see a totally different side of him. I did hear once that he collects vintage lunchboxes."

Henley opted not to mention her recent run ins with him. Before her return, she could really take or leave Dave. He hadn't bothered her.

"And here he comes," Henley smiled as he strolled over in his suit, making Henley feel dwarfed even in her 4" heels.

"Forgive the interruption, I just wanted to introduce myself," he flashed Fiona a surprisingly boyish smile. "Dave Batista."

"Fiona Tyler."

"Nice to meet you," he took her much smaller hand in his. "I heard all the rumors about you coming to join us here. Glad to hear they were true."

"Thank you," she smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."

"How about I take you around and introduce you to a few more people before we get started?"

Fiona looked over at Henley who shrugged. Dave probably was a better person to introduce Fiona to their coworkers. Most of them didn't have the warmest welcomes for Henley.

"Go," Henley waved. "Have fun."

"See you in the meeting," Fiona gave her a bright smile.

Henley waved to them as they walked away.

"Hey Dave," she said, unable to let him walk away without at least a little jab. He turned and she gave him a wink, "Careful around those corners, huh?"

Dave nodded and turned away quickly.

As soon as they made their way to another group, Henley looked around for Chris. Now, she needed to let him know he had some competition.

* * *

Hunter watched as Henley talked and laughed with Chris, her hand on his arm. He'd been trying to figure out if she'd genuinely gotten more attractive or if she just looked prettier because he hadn't seen her in so long. She was wearing a pair of gray pants and a loose black sleeveless shirt with red heels. Her legs seemed to look longer. Her blonde waves looked thicker and were pulled up into a ponytail and tied with a red leather strap.

She took a step closer to Chris, lowering her voice to a whisper and Hunter wished he could get close enough to hear what they were saying. He'd heard from a few people that the two of them were very close and despite his best efforts, it bothered Hunter. He wanted to know how close. He could remember a time when they used to sit together before these stupid meetings. He missed those times. It was even before anything intimate ever happened between them. He missed her friendship.

_Hunter laughed, watching as Henley rested her chin on her hand, trying to blow her bangs out of her eyes._

_She noticed him laughing and narrowed her brown eyes, "Don't you laugh at me."_

"_Don't be funny."_

"_Don't look funny," she stuck her tongue out at him._

"_What are you? 4?" he laughed at her._

"_I'm impatient," she bounced slightly in her chair. "I wanna know what my next program is gonna be. And since you insist you don't know anything, I have to sit here and wait."_

"_I really don't this time," Hunter shrugged. For once, he truly was in the dark. He didn't know what his own upcoming angle was, let alone hers. He was hoping they'd both get something good though. He hadn't known Henley for long but he knew enough to know that she was good, damn good and Vince needed to use her._

"_I just hope they don't make me work with Candice," the blonde shook her head._

"_Why?"_

"_Because every time you look at the girl, she breaks her clavicle," Henley rolled her eyes,._

"_I have that same issue with Adam," Hunter laughed. "I worry about him."_

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Hunter looked away quickly when he heard his wife's voice. He laughed, looking at her, "I was just looking to see how Fiona's getting along with everyone."

"And?"

"So far so good," Hunter nodded. "Dave seems to like her."

"Dave likes her ass," Stephanie laughed. She looked down at her watch, "We need to get started."

She cleared her throat, her blue eyes meeting Hunter's, "And by the way…Fiona and Dave are over there."

Stephanie pointed clear across the room from Henley and Chris and Hunter took a deep breath. Stephanie shook her head but didn't say anything else to him. She simply clapped her hands together and called everyone into the conference room to begin the meeting. Business as usual.

* * *

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for all making it here early today," Vince explained, looking around the room. "First I suppose I'll get to the proverbial elephants in the room….I'm sure you see some familiar faces here today. Please welcome and welcome back Fiona Tyler, Henley Ryan, and Jeff Hardy. I wont be taking any questions on any of their situations so if you had any, please keep them to yourselves."

He paused to make sure everyone understood that he was serious and when they all looked sufficiently quiet, he began speaking again, "I'm sure you've all heard that I had something to tell you and you probably figured it wasn't that big of a deal but I must tell you, this is a huge announcement."

Everyone looked around, wondering what he was talking about. Stephanie and Shane smiled excitedly.

"Pretty soon you are all going to enjoy a degree of creative freedom that you haven't seen in years," Vince explained. "This company is about to enter into a new era. I am no longer interested in pandering to children and focusing on being family friendly. I've realized the possibilities in marketing adult demographic instead. I want more action, more matches, more storylines, more sex. If we're going to keep up with TNA and keep growing companies like Ring of Honor down, we have to give everyone what they want and it's been brought to my attention that nobody wants midgets and hog pen matches and couples in the audience on the kiss cam, not even the kids anymore and especially not all of you. We will have quality story, quality matches, quality shows. We've decided to completely relaunch the Raw and Smackdown brands to the public with an ad campaign starring a few select superstars. This will be a few weeks down the line after we have a special show the Saturday after the Bash on NBC. That show will be called Night of Champions. The changes will begin slowly, starting tonight. Night of Champions…that's when it really hits the fan. That is the night we turn over a new leaf."

Everyone in the room was smiling from ear to ear by the time Vince was done. He went into specific angles and, though some weren't thrilled to be left out of certain title pictures, everyone was thrilled at the company's new direction.

"Alright," Vince clapped his hands together. "You're free to go. Everyone please be on time for the show tonight."

* * *

"Henley, Jeff, and Fiona…I'd like you all to stay behind for a few minutes if that's alright," Vince raised a hand to stop them before they could leave.

_Shit_

Fiona stopped walking, turning to look at Henley, who was obviously thinking the same thing. Jeff looked somewhat confused but there could be plenty of reasons for that expression to cross his face so she didn't bother to try and decipher it as she turned around, smiling. The meeting had gone so well. Her role sounded amazing, she was set to have her first appearance, though it would be very brief, on Raw that night. She loved the sound of the company's new direction. Getting called into the principal's office: Not so much.

"Have a seat, please," he casually gestured to some chairs.

Fiona quickly sat down. Henley sat to her left and Jeff sat beside her.

"I just wanted the four of us to have quick talk," Vince said, sitting at the head of the table, an easy smile on his face. He sorted through some papers and found what he was looking for sliding them toward Fiona.

"Ladies, there were reports all over the internet this weekend that you two would be showing up on WWE Television this week," Vince said. "These reports were sparked by you two whooping it up in bars over the weekend."

Fiona wanted to point out that they only went to one bar and that they weren't exactly tying their bras around anyone's heads but she figured it probably wasn't the time so she just briefly looked at the printout and then over at Henley. They both gave apologetic looks.

"Sorry Mr. McMahon," Fiona apologized.

"It was my fault," Henley put up a hand.

Fiona shot her a look but Vince was already shaking his head with an unsurprised expression on his face. "What's done is done. Obviously, I don't care who you're friends with and as long as it's legal, I don't care very much how you spend your free time. But when you've been off camera for a length of time or you haven't debuted in my company yet, I expect you to be smart enough to lay low until you've shown up on TV. Okay?"

They both nodded.

Fiona looked over at Jeff out of the corner of the eye. He was making shapes on the table with his finger, leaving a trail of chipped black nail polish on the wood.

"My point of bringing all three of you in here," he raised his voice on the number three and turned to Jeff, who stopped his drawing,. "Was to tell you not to flatter yourselves into thinking you're invincible. You're very good at what you do. That's not in question. You're attractive, young, _extremely_ talented. You are all at the _top_ of your field."

Fiona knew she shouldn't smile but she wanted to. She couldn't help it.

"But you're also screw ups until you prove otherwise," Vince shrugged.

Fiona couldn't help the offended look that twisted her features. Jeff, well Jeff was obviously a screwup. And Henley, while sweet, was clearly not a saint, especially in the eyes of a McMahon but Fiona? What had she done that was so wrong?

"Yes, you too," Vince responded to her expression.

"You made everybody hate you," Jeff explained.

"Funny, I don't remember talking to you," she turned to him.

"She wasn't talking to you," Vince agreed. "But he does have a point. You came into a business that takes respect very seriously. You were green as can be and copped an attitude with everyone right down to the cameraman. Other talent refused to work with you. Crew complained about you. That cant fly. I just happen to think you're worth the second chance. I think you all are. And, as a businessman, I need what you all can bring in, the revenue, the ratings. But you are all on thin ice. Every one of you. Understood?"

"Understood," Both women agreed.

Jeff nodded without saying anything.

"I have some things to do," he stood up. "Have a good show tonight Fiona. Jeff, Henley, I have very high hopes in the coming weeks."

They all thanked him and then let out a collective breath when the door closed behind him.

"I feel like I was just in detention," Jeff drawled.

"Have you ever _been_ in detention?" Fiona looked over at him, annoyed. "You don't get yelled at. You just sit there in silence."

Henley was staring at no one in particular, "Did he actually say whooping it up?"

* * *


End file.
